The field of this invention relates to locking mechanisms and more particularly to a locking mechanism for a beverage dispenser that is designed to dispense a plurality of different beverages.
Commercial establishments such as bars and restaurants normally use a device known as a beverage dispenser to facilitate dispensing of different types of beverages. A beverage dispenser comprises a hand-held dispenser device which includes a spout. On the dispensing device are a plurality of buttons. The operator is to push one of the buttons which will dispense a particular type of beverage through the spout and into a container such as a glass. As long as the particular button is pushed, the beverage dispenser will continue to dispense that particular beverage.
This hand-held dispensing device is connectable through a supply conduit to a source of supply for the beverages. A common source of supply would be a plurality of different pressurized tanks with each tank including a quantity of a particular beverage. The advantage of this type of dispensing system is that the bar or restaurant only need to have exposed the particular hand-held dispensing device with the containers for the beverages being located some spaced distance from the dispensing device. Frequently, the containers are located in an out-of-the-way location such as in a back room of the bar or restaurant.
Although these types of dispensers facilitate the dispensing of beverages, these dispensers also facilitate unauthorized usage. During a time that the dispenser is not being utilized, any individual can come along an pick up the dispenser and dispense a quantity of a particular beverage. In essence, this constitutes a theft. Within certain establishments, this unauthorized use of beverage dispensers amounts to a substantial amount of lost revenue.
In the past, in order to curtail this unauthorized usage of beverage dispensers, there have been efforts to lock such beverage dispensers when such are not being used. These efforts are usually directed to some form of a cover with this cover being chained and locked in some form or another. However, in the past, these locking devices have been rather archaic and there has been little effort toward utilizing such a locking device that can be quickly installed, quickly unlocked, and in appearance attractive which is desirable as such is normally observed by patrons.